It Could Happen to You

The ultra-hip and sophisticated "cool jazz" that Chet Baker (trumpet/vocals) helped define in the early '50s matured rapidly under the tutelage of producer Dick Bock. This can be traced to Baker's earliest sides on Bock's L.A.-based Pacific Jazz label. This album is the result of Baker's first sessions for the independent Riverside label. The Chet Baker Quartet featured on Chet Baker Sings: It Could Happen to You includes Kenny Drew (piano), Sam Jones (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). (Performances by bassist George Morrow and drummer Dannie Richmond are featured on a few cuts.) This results in the successful combination of Baker's fluid and nonchalant West Coast delivery with the tight swinging accuracy of drummer Jones and pianist Drew…

Chet Baker - It Could Happen To You (1958) {Riverside Japan VICJ-41544, Paper Sleeve rel 2006}
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© 1958, 2006 Riverside / Victor Japan | VICJ-41544
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Trumpet

A classic album from Chet – and one that's got a perfect mix of vocal and instrumental moments, of the sort you don't find easily on other albums! Chet plays trumpet and sings, and is backed by Kenny Drew, Sam Jones, and Philly Joe Jones – a different style of group from his west coast years, but one that helps give the record a fresher sound too! Tracks are still shortish, with those breathy Baker vocals we love so much.

Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings: It Could Happen To You (1958) {OJC Remasters Complete Series rel 2010, item 13of33}
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© 1958, 2010 Riverside / Concord | 0888072323292
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Trumpet

An extension of the popular Original Jazz Classics series (est. 1982), the new OJC Remasters releases reveal the sonic benefits of 24-bit remastering-a technology that didn't exist when these titles were originally issued on compact disc. The addition of newly-written liner notes further enhances the illuminating quality of the OJC Remasters reissues. "Each of the recordings in this series is an all-time jazz classic," says Nick Phillips, Vice President of Jazz and Catalog A&R at Concord Music Group and producer of the series.

Close to You is one of Frank Sinatra's most gentle and intimate albums, and that is due in no small part to the Hollywood String Quartet, which forms the core of the album's instrumental support. It also was one of the most difficult to record, taking eight months and five different sessions. Certainly, it is one of the most unusual and special of Sinatra's albums, featuring a subdued and detailed performances that accentuate both the romantic longing and understated humor of the numbers, which are mainly torch songs. With the quartet's support, the album comes closer to sounding like a classical album, like a pop variation on chamber music. Where the intimacy of In the Wee Small Hours sounded confessional and heart-broken, Close to You has a delicate, lovely quality; it may not be seductive, but it is charming and romantic.

Rob Dixon - Coast To Crossroads (2018) {Rob Dixon} (with Charlie Hunter)
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© 2018 Rob Dixon | [none]
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Blues / Jazz Funk / Saxophone / 7-String Guitar

Saxophonist Rob Dixon, who mainly plays a muscular tenor sax here, is based in Indiana (the Crossroads state) but also works a lot on the East and West Coasts—hence the album title. He has done three tours with guitarist Charlie Hunter's band, and the 7-string guitar phenomenon returns the favor here by both playing and producing the album. The core band is completed by legendary drummer Mike Clark (who made his name playing with pianist/composer Herbie Hancock in the 1970s), who Dixon had worked with on previous album projects. Brooklyn-based trombonist Ernest Stuart contributes front line harmonies, as well as hot solos on half of the tracks.

Sonny Rollins - All The Things You Are (1963-64) {Bluebird–BMG 2179-2-RB rel 1990}
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© 1963-64, 1990 RCA / Bluebird / BMG | 2179-2-RB
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Half of this LP contains the famous session on which Sonny Rollins teamed up with his idol, the great tenor Coleman Hawkins. Actually, the competitive Rollins did everything he could during these performances to throw Hawk off with plenty of sound explorations and free playing, but Hawkins keeps from getting lost and battles Rollins for a tie; pianist Paul Bley plays well too. The remainder of this LP (three selections apiece from the former LPs Now's the Time and The Standard Sonny Rollins) is more conventional but has its moments of interest. The young Herbie Hancock is on piano for all of these tracks and guitarist Jim Hall helps on "Trav'lin Light." Rollins's RCA recordings of the '60s are all worth picking up.

Various Artists - From Middle Jazz To Be-Bop (1952-1955) - La Grande Histoire Du Jazz Vol. 2 (2010) {Box 25CD - 50 of 100}
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© 1952-55, 2010 Le Chant du Monde | 574 1925.49
Jazz / Classic Jazz / Middle Jazz / Be-Bop

An epic 100 CD chronological documentation of the history of jazz music from 1898 to 1959, housed in four boxed sets. Each box contains 25 slipcase CDs, a booklet (up to 186 pages) and an index. The booklets contain extensive notes (Eng/Fr) with recording dates and line-ups. 31 hours of music in each box, totalling 1677 tracks Each track has been restored and mastered from original sources.